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Opinion: Make America great by changing course, says Canton resident

Posted 9/18/20

To the Editor: In the “Left Spawning Crop of American Dictators” letter to the editor that appeared in the Sept. 4-10 issue of North Country This, the authors say “Trump is an unpatriotic and …

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Opinion: Make America great by changing course, says Canton resident

Posted

To the Editor:

In the “Left Spawning Crop of American Dictators” letter to the editor that appeared in the Sept. 4-10 issue of North Country This, the authors say “Trump is an unpatriotic and unamerican word that should be questioned by everyone!” I agreed thus far. But then they went on to extol “President Trump.”

I guess their point was we must use the title every time we speak of him (a bit like when King George demanded we call him by his title. We said no, it was called the American revolution). But, I’d be happy to comply: President Trump has run up the deficit. President Trump has spurned even Fox News, the very news outlet that has backed him. President Trump openly said he would have liked McCain better if he hadn’t been captured. President Trump has put the swamp on steroids; did we forget Ben Carson’s pricey curtains (to name but one example). President Trump has believed Russia over our own intelligence services. President Trump has about as much self-restraint on twitter as my 6 year old. Possibly less.

The authors are concerned about “horrible” places like “the Middle East,” which I have visited and whose people are anything but horrible. Well, I have news for my Trump-voting neighbors. Once in office the President could have visited any number free democratic country in the world: he chose Saudi Arabia as his first stop. The authors say they are concerned about left-leaning dictators. Perhaps they should be concerned about all dictators, including ones we breed at home who demand our total loyalty.

I implore my neighbors who voted Trump to ask: what has really changed for the better? We don’t have more money, we don’t have better healthcare, and we’re in greater debt as a nation. Now, we trail behind even third world countries in terms of our Covid death toll. Any hard-working American was taught, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” It never feels good to admit we were conned by a silver spoon Manhattanite who rode into office parroting conservative values.

I believe there’s a secret groundswell of Trump supporters with buyer’s remorse. And good for them. They are modelling for future generations of Americans that when you make a mistake, you get up, dust yourself off, and try again. They know that making America great means changing course when something doesn’t work. Folks, this isn’t working.

Tricia Pethic

Canton